Critical Requirements
All undergraduate and graduate students are required to provide evidence that they meet established health and legal requirements, including background checks, drug screenings, and health clearance requirements (“Critical Requirements”). Students are responsible for all expenses associated with meeting Critical Requirements.
This requirement applies to all students except those enrolled in Post-Baccalaureate Certificate and Microcredential programs. PhD students are addressed separately and are evaluated on a case-by-case basis.
Critical Requirements are established by the College of Nursing in collaboration with affiliated clinical and community partner agencies and may change based on agency expectations. University health officials and College of Nursing administrators regularly review guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the American College Health Association (ACHA), other public health authorities, and vaccination requirements established by the State of Ohio for K–12 students to inform decisions related to Critical Requirements.
Students must submit documentation by the deadline established by the Office of Clinical Placement and Operations. All documentation must be verified through the College’s designated compliance tracking system.
UC College of Nursing students use CastleBranch to submit and track compliance with Critical Requirements. The steps below outline the process for completing requirements by the established deadlines.
Failure to complete Critical Requirements by the required deadlines will prevent students from participating in clinical hours or external experiential learning activities, including, but not limited to, supervised clinical experiences, practice immersion, project implementation, direct care learning activities, and observation, assessment, or data collection activities.
The section is currently under construction and will be updated by August 24, 2026. Students admitted prior to Fall 2026 who need assistance identifying their package code should contact conaprncr@uc.edu.
Deadlines to order your CastleBranch package(s):
| Start Term | Deadline to Order CastleBranch Package |
|---|---|
| Fall 2026 | Sep. 30 |
Deadlines for submitting required documents to CastleBranch:
| Start Term | Deadline to Submit Critical Requirements |
|---|---|
| Fall 2026 | Oct. 31 |
First, you will be prompted to create your unique profile and generate your login credentials. Enter your Full UC ID (e.g. student ID, M number), including the M and without dashes; it is essential for you to enter your UC email address, as this will become your username for your CastleBranch profile. After you create your account, you can access the CastleBranch portal at any time.
Order a CastleBranch package(s)
Please refrain from purchasing a package until the first day of course instruction.
This CastleBranch guide provides step-by-step instructions on the three ways (upload, fax, and mail) you can submit your documents. You are required to submit the following documentation to CastleBranch:
- Background check results
- Drug screening results
- Health clearances, which include verification of the following:
- Health insurance
- Active, unrestricted RN licensure
- CPR certification
- Tuberculosis testing
- Immunization records, including proof of seasonal flu vaccination
- Web-based compliance training module completion certificates
- State-specific requirements (if any)
- Site-specific requirements (if any)
All students must maintain continuous, verified compliance with all Critical Requirements throughout the duration of their program, including adherence to all renewal timelines, to remain eligible for participation in external experiential learning activities.
Students are responsible for monitoring their compliance status and ensuring all requirements are complete by the applicable deadlines. Once you have reached full compliance, you will be able to print a compliance summary from your CastleBranch profile, which you should have with you while engaging in any external experiential learning activities. Students are strongly encouraged to check their CastleBranch profiles regularly.
There are some items in your critical requirements that will require maintenance while enrolled, CastleBranch sends notifications about updating the items about to expire during your program. If your renewals are overdue, you will receive communications from the College of Nursing’s critical requirements team. Please regularly check your UC email and take immediate action to achieve compliance when these notifications are received.
If you do not maintain your compliance, you will not be cleared to participate in any external experiential learning activities until compliance is verified. This may also result in an administrative drop from courses (including both didactic and external experiential learning courses) .
What else do I need to know?
CastleBranch provides a tracker with a custom list of critical requirements established by UC and based on requirements of the external sites in your area. You will be responsible for providing documentation or responding to specific questions to complete each requirement.
Your requirements will be listed in your “To-Do List” and often have due dates for requirement completion. You will be sent an email to your UC email account once a week if you have requirements that are approaching or have passed their due date.
Your specific background check will vary based on the state in which you reside or where you will complete any external experiential learning activities. Some sites may require subsequent background checks and drug screening to participate in external experiential learning activities at their facility. If the site does not coordinate and perform these for you, you can order and pay for additional screenings through CastleBranch. If this is the case, reach out to your clinical site coordinator for further instructions.
For answers to frequently asked questions about CastleBranch, including account management, background checks, drug testing, immunizations and more, visit the CastleBranch Student FAQ.
COVID-19 Vaccination Requirements & Exemption Protocols
Certain programs at UCy have external experiential learning activities that are a requirement for program completion. To the extent permitted by law, students enrolled in such programs will be expected to comply with all rules, policies, guidelines, and requirements of any third-party placement, including, but not limited to, vaccination and background check requirements. Any student’s failure to comply with such third-party rules, policies, guidelines or requirements may result in the student not being able to complete and graduate from their program.
Resources
For further assistance related to critical requirements, email conaprncr@uc.edu.